Zsuzsanna Helyes graduated as a medical doctor in 1995 at the Medical University of Pécs, Hungary. She is specialized at clinical laboratory diagnostics (2001) and clinical pharmacology (2004), PhD (1998). She is a full professor of pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy of the University of Pecs Medical School, and a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. She teaches pharmacology and clinical pharmacology, and extensively trains young scientists- 24 PhDs were defended under her supervision. She reveived the “Master Supervisor” Golden Medallion of the Hungarian Student Research Committee and the „Pro Cura Ingeni” Award of the University of Pécs, Knight of Cross from the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic; Honorary advisor of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pécs-Baranya and “Denis Gabor” Award.
Her research field is neuropharmacology with focus on the sensory system, the role of capsaicin-sensitive peptidergic afferents and neuro-vascular-immune interactions in inflammatory and pain processes both at the periphery and the central nervous system, as well as related psychological co-morbidities such as anxiety and depression. She aims to identify novel targets for analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant drug development. She published around 300 papers with cumulative impact factor of 1200 and 12000 citations, her h-index is 61, she owns 12 patents. One of her novel firs-in-class analgesic drug candidates has successfully completed Phase Ia (single dosing tolerability) clinical trials and is currently prepared for Phase 1b (multiple dosing) and Phase 2 (proof-of-concept in patients). She is intensively promoting academy-industry cooperations. She is a senior editor of British Journal of Pharmacology, Brain Research Bulletin, Scientific Reports, Frontiers in Pharmacology and steering committee member of the Hungarian Pain Society and Physiology Society, secretary general of the Hungarian Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology.